Sunday, December 22, 2013

A Very Special Christmas Wish To All Animals

I ran across this video quite by accident and decided it was something that I wanted to share this Christmas season because so many of us humans tend to forget our furry friends.

You guys know that I have a Yorkie named Charlie, and his new picture is on the right side of this page in the middle column. He is 5 1/2 years old and I can't imagine my life without him. I went almost my whole life without a dog because I wanted to make sure I had the time and means to take care of one.

My mother, God rest her soul, was one of the ones who could never turn an animal down. She had at any given time in her house:

2 or 3 Siamese cats, a black cat, a yellow tabby cat, 2 or 3 Chihuahua's, some other type of dog that we never knew what he was and at least 2 big outside dogs.

She did have a fence around her house so none of these pets ever bothered anyone. I never really understood her for a long time. I would go to her house and come out covered in so much hair, it was comical!

For a long time, she cured me of not wanting an animal in my home but as I got older, I missed that connection. I can say that the one great thing that came out of my becoming disabled was that I finally had the time to care for a dog and I had always wanted a Yorkie. Before, I had worked 2 jobs for nearly 15 years and was hardly home so it wouldn't have been a good place for any animal to have me gone that much.

Once I married Mike, he put his foot down about me working 2 jobs and actually, I was planning on quitting anyway because I really didn't need a second job to fill my lonely days and nights anymore and so in some ways, Mike rescued me. I can honestly say I have the 2 best men in the world in my life right now, my husband Mike and my little darling Charlie. Just look at them sleeping together when Charlie was still just a little bitty puppy!

I still feel bad for Mike because less than 3 years after we got married I started having health issues and by the 4th year, I wasn't able to work anymore and we struggled and he never told me this until the Disability started that if we had not gotten that money that month, the next month, we would not have had the money to pay our house payment. He had re-financed, borrowed, worked so much overtime and other things to keep us going for those 3 years, I still can't even begin to tell you how hard our life was back then.

So, God provided at the most crucial time and I thank Mike every single day that he did not abandon me like so many other husband's did to their wives. My doctors told me horrible stories about other women that had some of my same health issues and their husbands had already left them to fend for themselves. I really do have a gem of a husband and he still tells me to this day how much he loves me and he would do it all over again, even knowing what would happen beforehand. How many other men can say that?

So, when I got my settlement check (I had to fight 3 years to get my disability, which is a disgrace), they have to go back to the day that you became disabled and pay you back-pay, up to 2 or 3 years, but no more than that. It was with some of that money I got Charlie, my lifesaver. Mike was my first miracle (I was already in my late 30's when we married) and Charlie was my second miracle.

Even with Mike by my side, he still had to work and he still had to work a lot of overtime to try and get us back to a place where everything wasn't such a struggle, so he set aside some money for me to begin my search for my dog and then used the rest of the settlement to pay off some bills that had grown due to no income from me those 3 years.

I had narrowed my search and I have to say it must have been pre-ordained for us to get Charlie because he was the first puppy that we actually went to see and I picked him out of the litter in less than a few minutes. Why? Because he was either being anti-social or being ignored. He was off to himself while the rest of the litter was all together playing and trying to get our attention, but Charlie just sat all by himself staring at us. He had one little reddish spot on his front paw while all the others were solid black.

I told Mike right then that he was the one I wanted. Mike was shocked because the whole time I had been adamant that I wanted a female dog! He said, you know that is a male dog, right? I said I know but something is telling me he is the one. And guess what? I was so very right!

Charlie is the most loving, special dog I can't even begin to tell you all of his awesome qualities but the best one is that he knows when I am sick or in pain. He will come and curl up right beside me and lick my hand and give me kisses and just look up at me with those beautiful eyes. He makes the pain bearable and without him here during the day when Mike is working, I don't know what I would do.

He gives me a reason to get myself moving and make sure he is taken care of. He forces me to play with him and get myself up and moving. I will say this to anyone who has someone in your family or even just a friend, a dog or cat if that is their preference, will do wonders for their morale and give them hope to continue on.

As to the story above about the rescue, every time I see one of these stories, I cry. I wish I had all the money in the world to help every single one of them, but I don't. So, instead I try to share these stories and pass them along, hoping someone else will either adopt one of them, contribute to a shelter or share the story and keep the chain going until we find someone who can.

I hope in time that stories like these will fade and be a distant memory. I can only hope and pray that it will come true. In the meantime, I will continue to read and share the stories so that they are not forgotten. They at least deserve that much from all of us. So, for the next few days, I will be keeping this story as the top story on my blog as a reminder to all, Please don't forget these beautiful creatures during this time of year. They deserve to be loved and cared for because they are the most precious creatures and the most loyal and loving if you would just give them the chance!

Thank you for reading my story and I want to wish all of you a Very Merry Christmas!

All opinions are mine and belong to me solely. My thoughts and opinions may differ from yours.

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comments:

Great post. Thank you for sharing. It makes me think of this poem:If you can start the day without caffeine, If you can get going without pep pills, If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains, If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles, If you can eat the same food everyday and be grateful for it, If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time. If you can overlook it when those you love take it out on you, If you can take criticism and blame without resentment, If you can ignore a friend's limited education and never correct him,If you can resist treating a rich friend better than an poor friend, If you can face the world without lies and deceit, If you can conquer tension without medical help, If you can relax without liquor, If you can sleep without the aid of drugs, If you can say honestly that deep in your heart you have no prejudice against creed, color, religion or politics, THEN, my friend, you are almost as good as your dog.

Mary, Thank you for your heartfelt post. It's a very moving story about those we love and those who love us and stand by us, including the four-footed furry ones. I came across the same video and was also moved and thinking of creating a post, inspired by it. It's such a moving story. I think it's impossible to watch it and deny the power of the human-animal bond and how it goes both ways. I'm so glad you have Mike and Charlie, Best, Heidi

Thank you for this lovely post. I've also have many medical problems and have had to deal with severe pain since I was 16. I'm eighteen now and am in the process of filing for disability. I know how hard things can be, and what a joy it is to have a wonderful furry companion. My two cats definitely make life much more fun and exciting :D